Coin meter with reset switch cam



Jan 22, 1952 H. GREENWALD 2,583,333

COIN METER WITH RESET SWITCH CAM Filed March 7, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 22, v1952 COIN METER. WITH RESET SWITCH CAM Harry Greenwald, Blauvelt, N. Y., assigner to Rnbco Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation `oIlNews1 York Application March 7, 195.0.; Serial No. 148,164r

laiins.

This `invention relates to new and useful' vimproyemerrtsin .coin meterslwit'h reset switch cams'.

When time is` left in' a meterwithouta reset theV next person when" insertingLv a coin only receives the time that has-been leftover by the former user; A meter with a reset switch cam resets the-meterte start from zero and gives ainewand complete cycle 'for each insertion'of a coin nomatter wherel the cyclev is when vthenew coinI isv inserted.

The dominating object of this inventionresides in thel constructionrofa-coin meter with a reset switch cam which is of extremely simple construction, efcient and reliable inloperat-ion, and which may be manufacturedand sold 'at-a rela- `tively-low cost; Itis `proposed to-characterize the new'meter by a switch cam` adjustably mounted on`a gearfturnably mountedon a movableamemf ber movable back an'dforth inV order. that. said gear maymesh with and maybe moved: out of mesh from a` clock driven gear.

It is-an object oflthis invention to adjustably mount lszauidswitch camon said 'gear with'vthe'use of aclamp screw 'or'other similar'simplerclamping means; byfwhich the cam'may lbe'iixed iin-.selected adjusted positions .forfvarying the. available timingof the meter.

Another object of this inventionzresid'es inA the .provision .of resilient. means forrurgng: the: first mentioned gear into a starting position in order1 thatwhen .itris'fdisengagedfrom the second Anamed 'gearitwillimmediately turnback` to its starting position;

Still anotherobject of vthis invention resides: in

.mounting a switch for controlling an electric circuit` on" the` movable member previously mentioned, whichfswitehais provided withan operator for opening the circuit. when lifted fromnormal position.. andl it is proposedw to so arrange the switch camtor .lift said operator; to actuate said switch'.

Anoth'erfobjectof this invention resides 4in vthe provisionof coin operated means 'for moving the movable member toa back. position Aforeach coin passing through the chute of the meter for 4separating. the prior mentioned gears so. that. the resilient means may movethe. rstnamed gear to its starting position. This. resetsthe meter. For. further comprehension of. the invention, and ofthe objects and advantages thereof,fref

e'rence will'be had to the followingv description and accompanying drawing', andto the appended claims .in which the various novel features of` the invention are. more particularly setfforth.

In the. accompanying. drawing forming a material part of thisV disclosure:

Fig. 1 isa front elevational view vofia coin meter with reset'switchcam constructedin accordance with this'` invention, the meter being illustrated without-cover so that theworks may be seen.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the works o the meter shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the works ofithe meter taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic wiring diagram of the coin meter and the appliance which it controls.

The coin meter with reset switch cam, in ac'- cordance with this invention, includes a casing I0 having a coin slot II. A support I2' is mounted in said casing I0 with several screws I3. 'I'his support I2 is provided with` a coin chute I4 aligned with said coin slot II. The support I2 is formed from a back plate I5, a front platel heid spaced from the back plate' I5 by spacer strips II, and these parts being joined together in a fixed unit with rivetsA I8. The space between the spacer strips I'I form the chute I4.

A movable member 20 is movably mounted on the support I2 to move hack and' forth. More particularly, the movable member 20 is pivotally mounted on a pintle 2I mounted on and projecting from the support I2. This movable member 20 is in' theA nature of a plate movable in a plane parallel to the face of the support I2.

A gear 22 is turnably mounted on said movable member 20. A stop 23 is mounted on and projects from the gear 22 and is cooperative with a stop 24` mounted on and projecting from the movable member 2D for limiting turning of the gear 22 to and from a starting position. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the gear 23 is in its starting position with the stop 23 to the left and against the stop 24.

A. switch 26 for controlling an electric circuit 21 is mounted on the movable member 20. This switch 26. is provided with an operator 2 8 for opening said circuit 2'I wh'eniifted from normal position'. The operator 28 isA in the nature of a leaf spring which may flex upwards and downwards. A small arcuate leaf spring 29 connects with vtheoperator 28 and with another leaf'spring 30 provided with a Contact engageable with a contact on anarrn 3i. Normally, said contacts engage each other. However, when the operator 28 is, lifted thearm 30. willbe flexed downwards by thesmall spring 29, so as to` opentheswitchZB.

A.switch cam 33.. is adjustably mountedA onthe gear22 for lifting saidoperator 28 to'acuate' said 'an' arcuate slot SIIA concentric' with' the gear 22.

A small clamp screw 35 is mounted on the gear 22 and engages through the slot 34 by which the switch cam 33 is locked in adjusted turned positions upon the gear 22. The gear 22 is imprinted with a scale 33 across which the side 31 of the switch cam 33 passes when the cam 33 is adjusted on the gear 22. This scale 36 is calibrated to indicate different periods of time required for the switch cam 33 to reach and lift the spring operator 28. This controls the timing of the meter.

The coin meter is provided with a gear train which includes said gear 22 and a gear 39 turnably mounted on the support I2. The gear train 22, 39 is driven by a clock drive 43 including an electric clock 4I controlled by said circuit 21. This clock drive functions to turn the gear 22 and in this way turns the switch earn 33 tc lift the operator 28.

The gear 22 is associated with resilient means for urging it into its starting position. This re- Asilient means comprises a tension spring 42 having one end attached to a pin 43 mounted on the support I2 and having its other end attached to a pin 44 eccentrically mounted upon the gear 22 in a position so that the spring 42 turns the gear 22 counter-clockwise and causes the stop 23 to engage the stop 24. The spring 42 also acts as resilient means for urging the movable member 29 into a front position in which the gears 22 and 39 mesh with each other. A pin 45 is mounted on the support I2 and acts as a stop for the movable member 20 when it is in a front position in which the gear 22 meshes with the gear 39.

The movable member 2U may be moved to a back position by coin operated means operated by each coin passing through said chute I4 for separating the gears 22 and 39 in order that said resilient means, namely, the spring 42, may move said gear 22 to its starting position to reset the meter. This coin operated means includes a pin 41 mounted on the movable member 23 and engaging an opening 48 in the support I2 so as to engage into the chute I4. A disc 49 is rctatively mounted by a pintle 50 upon the support I2. A plunger I is eccentrically connected with the disc 49 by which the disc 49 may be turned. A tension spring 52 is connected with a pin 53 eccentric on the disc 49 and with another pin 54 mounted upon the support I2. This spring 52 normally holds the disc 49 in a normal position.

The disc 49 is also provided with a pin 55 which in said normal position is in the bottom end of an arcuate slot 53 formed through the support I2. This pin 55 extends through the chute I4 and is capable of supporting a coin dropped down into the chute. The chute I4 is provided with a curved projecting member' 51 capable of guiding the coin passing down through the chute I4 laterally against the pin 41. The side of the chute I4 opposite the projectingmember 51 is formed .with a recess 58 through which the coin passes.

l pliance 60. The clock 4I drives the gear 39 which inturn drives the gear 22. The gear 22 will'turn ,clockwise and after a predetermined period of time the cam 33 will engage theoperator 28 of the switch 26 and lift said operator to cause the switch 26Y to open. n The period of time may be 4 varied by loosening the clamp screw 35 and turning the switch cam 33 backwards or forwards and setting it in a new position as desired. The new position may be easily selected by setting the side 31 of the cam 33 upon a selected marking on the scale 36.

When the switch cam 33 lifts the operator 28 the switch 26 is open and opens the circuit 21 through the clock 4I and the appliance 60 so that both the clock and appliance stop working. To restart the appliance it is necessary that a coin be dropped in the coin slot I I. An important feature of this meter resides in the fact that it is not necessary to wait for an old cycle to be finished before inserting a new coin. No matter where the old cycle is at, if a new coin is inserted the meter will give a complete new cycle from zero.

The coin will fall down the chute I4 and come to rest upon the pin 55. The plunger 5I may now be depressedso as to turn thedisc 49 so that the pin 55 moves to the high part of the slot 56. In this` latter position it will be against the side Vof the coin which has now dropped down and come to rest upon the curved projecting member 51 and against the pin 41. When the plunger 5I is now released the spring 52 turns the disc 49 back to its original position so that the pin 55 forces the coin against the pin 41 moving the movable member 20 towards the right, which is considered its back position. The coin then rolls around the projecting member 51 and discharges out of the bottom of the coin chute into a coin box, not illustrated on the drawing.

When the coin moved the pin 41 towards the right it correspondingly moved the movable member 20. Since the gear 22 is carried by the movable member 20, the gear 22 was moved out of mesh with the gear 39. The spring 42 instantly turns the gear 22 counter-clockwise to its starting position in which the stop 23 on the gear 22 engages the stop 24'in the movable member 20. Even though an old cycle is not completed and gear 22 has not as yet reached the position in which the operator 28 opens switch 26, a new coin causes the gear 22-to instantly assume its starting position. When the gear 22 turns 'to its starting position the cam 33 drops the operator 28 and the switch 26 closes if the cam 33 reached a position in which the operator 28 was raised. After the coin has passed, the pin 41 is released so that the spring 42 pivots the movable member to its front position, that is, towards the left, to a position in which the gear 22 remeshes with the gear 39. Since the switch 26 is now closed the clock 4I and the appliance 63 start operating under a new and complete cycle which will run to its end unless interrupted by the insertion of a new coin.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and thev right is reserved to all changes coming within the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is: y

l. A coin meter with reset switch cam, comprising a casing, a support mounted in said lcasing,

- a movable member movably mounted on said support to move back and forth, a gear turnably assasss said gear, a switch for controlling an electric circuit mounted on said movable member and having an operator for opening said circuit when lifted from normal position, a switch cam adjustably mounted on said gear for lifting said operator to actuate said switch after said gear has turned a predetermined amount, a gear train including said gear and a gear mounted on said support, clock means having an electric clock controlled by said circuit for driving said gear train i'or turning said switch cam to lift said operator after said gear has turned a predetermined amount, resilient means for urging said first named gear to its starting position and for urging said movable member into a front position in which the gears of said gear train mesh with each other, and means for moving said movable member to a back position for separating gears of said gear train in order that said resilient means may move said first named gear to its starting position.

2. A coin meter as dened in claim 1, in which said cam is coaxially turnably mounted on said first named gear, and a clamp screw mounted on said iirst named gear holds said cam in adjusted position.

3. A coin meter as defined in claim 2, in which said cam has a coaxial slot through which said clamp screw passes.

4. A coin meter as deiined in claim 1 in which a scale on said rst named gear indicates positions of said cam for diierent timing periods.

5. A coin meter as defined in claim 1, in which said resilient means comprises a single spring acting between said iirst named gear and said support.

HARRY GREENWALD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATNTS Number Name Date 1,578,655 Goggins Mar. 30, 1926 1,696,231 Haney Dec. 25, 1928 2,152,577 Weaver Mar. 28, 1939 

